US2643706A

US2643706A - Tubular furniture construction

Info

Publication number: US2643706A
Application number: US119922A
Authority: US
Inventors: William N Brown
Original assignee: ARNOLT CORP
Current assignee: ARNOLT Corp
Priority date: 1948-02-10
Filing date: 1949-10-06
Publication date: 1953-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 1970-06-30
Also published as: US2578397A; US2643707A

Description

June 30, 1953 w. N. BROWN 2,643,706

TUBULAR FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Feb. 10, 1948 zzvvmrox. FIG.6 WILLIAM N. BROWN ATT ' Patented June 30, 1953 TUBULAR FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION William N. Brown, Fort Wayne, Ind.-, assignor to Arnolt Corporation, Warsaw, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Original application February 10, 1948, Serial No. 7,332.- Divided and this application October 6, 1949, Serial N0. 119,922

Claims.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 7,332, filed February 10, 1948, now issued as Patent No. 2,578,397, patented December 11, 1951.

The invention relates generally to the art of making furniture and has particular reference to furniture structures made of metal tubing.

Tubular metal framed furniture has long been shipped and sold in assembled condition to the ultimate retail outlet, and it has been recognized that it would be a great deal more advantageous and economical to ship and sell such furniture in knocked down or KD form to the retail outlet where it could be assembled prior to display for sale. However, such knocked down components for making up such furniture have ordinarily been difficult to assemble, particularly by workmen not possessed of special tools nor of special skills. 1

It is, therefore, an important object of this invention to enable tubular metal framed furniture to be shipped in knocked down form so that it may be assembled by the user or the retail outlet, such assembly being characterized by the absence of any requirement for special tools or skilled workmen.

Another object is to form the members comprising a tubular frame structure in such a fashion that the members may be readily assem'bled by unskilled workmen using only the simplest tools.

Still another object is to form the members of a tubular frame structure in such a fashion that they may readily be fastened together to form a structure which will be unusually rigid and able to withstand loads or forces tending to disrupt the connection between such members.

Yet another object is to form the members making up a tubular frame chair structure with certain configurations in cross-section of the tubing employed therein to the end that these configurations may be employed with clips or separating members and connecting bolts to connect the members in a rigid and firm assembly.

Still another object is to enable tubular metal frame furniture to be assembled in such a fashion that the means for such assembly will not be discernible to the user.

Other and further objects and important features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment and the principles thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled 'in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

' In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a chair frame embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a chair frame embodying the invention but employing frame members of a different shape from that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the frame members of Figs. 1 and 2 which lie in a substantially horizontal plane to provide a support for a seat and showing details of the manner in which the frame members are secured together;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view looking in the direction of the arrows 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse section similar to Fig. 4 and showing an. alternative construction.

For purposes of disclosure the invention is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 as embodied in a pair of differently formed chair frame structures. The chair frame structure is indicated at I20 and is provided with frame members I2I and I22 which are fastened to a substantially U-shaped frame member I 23 to form a tubular frame structure.

The members HI and I22 have leg portions I24 and bridge portions I25 which lie in a substantially horizontal common plane. The substantially U-shaped frame member I23 has upstanding portions I2! and substantially horizontal spacedportions I28 which lie in the plane common to the portions I26 of the frame members IZI, the spaced contiguous pairs of frame portions I26 and I28 being connected as indicated generally at I29, and as will be described'presently more fully. The forward ends of the portions I28 are joined by an integral front bar I28F. In order to provide for the attachment of a seat the frame portions I25 are provided with holes I3 I and in order to provide for the attachment of a back the upstanding portions I2'I are provided with mounting holes I32 near their upper ends.

The tubular frame chair structure IZIIA of Fig. 2 consists of spaced frame members I2IA and I22A and a substantially U-shaped member I23A. The members I2 IA and I22A have leg portions I24A and substantially horizontal portions 2,643,706 i F p invention described with reference to Figs. 3 to 5 is further characterized by the advantage that the means for fastening the frame members together is not visible to the user, all exterior surfaces being unbroken or unmarred by the fastening means described.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that the present invention enables frames for furniture, such as chairs, to be shipped in a the portions I28A which are contiguous to the portions I 26A shown generally at I29A and which will be described more fully hereinafter. Holes I3IA are provided in the portions IZBA of the members IZIA and I22A to the end that achair seat, not shown, may be secured to the frame structure I28, and similar holes I32A are provided 7 near upper ends of portions I2'IA to enable a chair back to be secured thereto.

Referring now to Figs. 3 to 5, the fastening means I29 of Fig. l, which is similar to the fastening means I29A shown with reference to Fig, 2 (the description of the fastening means of Fig. 1, therefore, will suffice for Fig. 2 as well) comprises U-shaped spacer elements I 36 having vertical limbs I 31 adapted to follow the surface of the contiguous frame portions I26 and I28, and which are provided with lugs I38 adapted to extend into and interlock with openings I39 formed in the proximate faces, of the contiguous portions I26 and I28. The frame portions I26 and E28 are adapted to be held in such interlocked relation with the spacer elements I36 by means of a bolt MI which passes through the frame portion I28 and which cooperates With nut I52 which is of the same kind as the nut 39 so as to have a shoulder I43 on the exterior of the contiguous portion I26 and a shoulder I 44 on the interior of the frame portion I26.

Alternately, the proximate faces of the contiguous frame portions I26 and I28 of Fig. 1 (and similarly the contiguous frame portions I26A and I28A of Fig. 2) may be deformed to provide contiguous frame portions 263 and I28B which are spaced by spacer elements I363 having limbs 137B formed to match the contour of the proximate faces of the portions IZGB and I28B, the assembly shown in Fig. 6 being joined by means of a bolt I lIB passing through the frame portions I2I5B and I28B and secured by a nut MZB. The rotative locking action in this form of the invention is attained by forming notches M13 in the opposite sides of the limbs I3'IB, and forming the adjacent side walls of the members I26B and I28B in an angular shape I48B that is complemental in part with the notches I413. The bolt MIB serves, of course, to draw the elements M113 and I48B into a firmly interlocked relation.

The tubular frame chair or furniture structure described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, is conveniently and readily assembled by persons requiring no particular degree of skill, and the resultant structure is able to resist all the usual kind of loads placed thereon. With the arrangement of the fastening means shown with particular reference to Figs. 3 to 5, inclusive, the contiguous frame portions I26 and I28 are held against rotation on their axes with respect to each other, as well as against longitudinal displacement, thus insuring that the frame members making up the chair frame structure will not become misaligned. The embodiment of the convenient knocked down form, the members comprising such 'a chair frame or the like being capable of being readily assembled by the workers in the usual retail furniture store to afford such a rigid frame.

It will be evident, of course, that the connected parts are held securely against relative longitudinal displacement as well as against relative rocking of the tubular members about the axes of the connected parts. Moreover, the parts are so formed and related as to effectually resist the crushing forces incident to the tightening of the clamping or securing bolts.

Thus, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification, and that I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as shall fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a furniture frame structure, a pair of separately formed tubular frame members respectively affording elongated securing portions, said securing portions being disposed in spaced parallel side by side relation to each other, a substantially U-shaped spacer element having limbs lying between said portions in a transverse relation thereto, said portions being provided with spaced holes on the proximate faces thereof, said spacer element having lugs thereon adapted to. fit into said spaced holes, and means clamping said portions together with the spacer element therebetween whereby the portions are prevented from rotation along their axes with respect to each other.

2. In a furniture frame structure, a pair of separately formed tubular frame members respectively affording elongated securing portions, said securing portions being disposed in spaced parallel relation to each other, a spacer member lying between said portions, at least one of said portions being provided with a hole in the proximate face thereof, said spacer member having a lugthereon adapted to fit within said hole, and means clamping said securing portions together with the spacer member therebetween whereby the portions are prevented from rotation along their .axeswith respect to each other.

3. In a furniture frame structure, a pair of separately formed tubular frame members respectively affording elongated securing portions, said securing portions being disposed in spaced side by side parallel relation, a substantially U-shaped spacer element having limbs lying between said portions in a transverse relation thereto, said securing portions being provided with spaced holes on the proximate faces thereof, the limbs of said spacer element having lugs thereon complemental to and fitted snugly in the respective spaced holes in both of said frame members, and means clamping said portions together with the spacer element therebetween whereby the securing portions are held against rotation about their axeswith respect to each other.

4. In a furniture frame structure, a pair of separately formed tubular frame members respectively afiording elongated securing portions, said securing portions being disposed in spaced parallel relation, a spacer member lying between said portions, at least one of said portions being provided with a hole in the proximate face thereof, said spacer member having a lug thereon complemental to and extended snugly into said hole, and means clamping said portions together with the spacer member therebetween whereby said one portion is held against rotation about its axis with respect to said spacer member.

5. In a furniture frame structure, a pair of separately formed tubular frame members respectively affording elongated securing portions, said securing portions being disposed in spaced parallel relation, a substantially U-shaped spacer element having limb portions lying between said portions in a transverse relation thereto, said portions being provided with spaced locating holes on the proximate faces thereof, said spacer element having lugs thereon complemental to and extended. into said spaced locating holes, a nut fixed in such face of one of said frame members,

and a clamping bolt extended diametrically through the other of said frame members and.

threaded into said nut to clamp said portions together with the spacer element therebetween whereby the portions are held against rotation about their axes.

WILLIAM N. BROWN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED, STATES PATENTS